Abstract: The invention provides devices and methods of drying an object with a passive aerosol is created with no expenditure of energy from a drying liquid and delivered to the exposed surface of an object. The passive aerosol is created by rapidly decreasing the pressure of a carrier gas stream and entraining the drying liquid into the pressure means to create a venturi flow mixture of the carrier gas stream and the drying liquid. A primary baffle is positioned in the path of the venturi flow mixture so that the venturi flow mixture strikes against the primary baffle to create the passive aerosol. The passive aerosol can be used to create a drying layer through which the object is passed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for promoting a substantially uniform cavitation field. With system (100) including a diaphragm (109) dividing a container (103), a second energy pulse corresponding to a first energy pulse arising from collapse of a cavity C is produced and is used to determine whether to adjust a corresponding transducer 121-k. In system (16), a cavity creating unit (11), including an assembly of transducers 15-i, is moveable from a test liquid to a particle removal (PR) liquid after transducer testing. In another system, a sensor plate (170) having an array of sensors 171-j provides a virtual wafer. A substantially uniform field of cavitation may be maintained by a cavity enhancement liquid, or adjustment of transducer energy. Mechanisms of holding an object produce substantially uniform cavitation. Opposed transducers in a container having monotonically decreasing and/or increasing cavitation density produce substantially uniform cavitation density.

Abstract: A wafer dryer and method featuring a nebulizer which emits a pressurized drying liquid stream that converges with an opposed pressurized non-reactive carrier gas stream to produce a drying liquid fog. The pressurized non-reactive gas spray device is disposed partially within a tub and partially within a wafer bath vessel housing a wafer to be dried. The tub has a vent port for allowing the drying liquid fog to pass into the wafer bath vessel to adhere to exposed wafer surfaces and displace remaining liquid on wafer surfaces, thus drying the wafer. The tub may further include a drain for draining drying liquid not converted into the fog or which has condensed. The vent also may include means for retaining larger drying liquid fog particles which allows smaller drying liquid fog particles to pass into the wafer bath vessel.